Natural Resource Partners

Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NRP) is a master limited partnership headquartered in Houston, Texas, with its operational headquarters in Huntington, West Virginia. According to its website, the company "is principally engaged in the business of owning and managing coal properties, and coal handling and transportation infrastructure in the three major coal producing regions of the United States: Appalachia, the Illinois Basin and the Powder River Basin. NRP also owns and manages aggregate reserves in Arizona, Texas, West Virginia and Washington. In addition the partnership manages oil and gas properties and timber assets in Appalachia. The partnership does not actively engage in the mining of any of its minerals or natural resources, but rather leases its properties to various operators in exchange for royalty payments."

NRP states that 5% of all coal mined in the U.S. is from NRP properties.

History
Natural Resource Partners was formed in April 2002 with selected properties from the following companies:


 * Western Pocahontas Properties - formed in 1986 to acquire all the coal, timber and surface rights of CSX Corporation. These assets constituted approximately 45% of Natural Resource Partner's (NRP) reserves at December 31, 2001.
 * Arch Coal - the second largest coal producer in the United States. The properties contributed to NRP by Arch accounted for approximately 40% of NRP's reserves at December 31, 2001.
 * Great Northern Properties L.P. - formed in 1992 to acquire the coal-related assets of Burlington Railroad.
 * New Gauley Coal - as part of Western Pocahontas Properties' acquisition of the CSX properties, WPPLP acquired New Gauley Coal Corporation, which held additional properties in West Virginia.

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